So did their fellow Winnacunnet High School teammates in the second and third periods of their game against St. Thomas Aquinas at the 33rd annual Exeter High School Christmas Ice Hockey Tournament at The Rinks at Exeter.

The Winnacunnet tandem, with linemate Josh Hume, accounted for all of the Warriors' scoring in what turned out to be a 4-3 loss to St. Thomas.

So what do Miller, a 6-foot senior center and Sullivan, a 5-8 sophomore right wing have in common besides living in Hampton and being part of the Winnacunnet ice hockey team?

"Puck movement and we can both find the back of the net," said Miller, who scored one goal and recorded an assist in the loss.

Sullivan had two goals, one unassisted after stealing the puck, the other off assists from Hume and Miller.

"That's a good tandem," said Winnacunnet coach John Normand. "They're hard workers. They grind it out. They're tough and they both can shoot the puck."

Though it turned out to be a loss for the Warriors, who are 0-1-2 in Division II, it was as Miller said, a "motivational" loss.

"In a way it gives us determination," said Miller. "We're that close. We're sick of losing now. A goal or two and we're there."

Sullivan, a transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas, who was a member of the Saints' JV team last year, said he wanted to play his best against his former teammates and get a win, but "we fell short."

So what did this game against St. Thomas tell them?

"We have kids who can put the puck in the net, but we're not finding it yet," said Miller.

Normand said playing against a Division I team like St. Thomas was a good test.

As far as giving the team an identity?

"It's something which will evolve, I think," said Normand. "I don't think we've found it yet. When we get a couple of wins under our belt an identity will surface."

The way the Warriors played in the second and third periods, however, was a good sign. Not only did it tell Normand who stepped up, but he said it "IDs the guys who really want to battle."

Hume took "a good pop," noted Norman, and had to leave the game.

Fortune didn't fall Winnacunnet's way Tuesday night at the tournament as Matt Fitzpatrick, a senior, scored with four seconds left to give Kingswood a 3-2 victory over the Warriors.

"It was a great goal for the whole team," said Kingswood assistant coach Steve Hale. "It couldn't have been a better finish. The Winnacunnet goalie is a great goalie and we were fortunate to get that by him."

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